Lesotho Water Project Expansion Costs May Increase by 15%

Bloomberg - The cost to extend a project that brings water to South Africa’s industrial hub from Lesotho has risen about 15 percent to 9 billion rand ($1.02 billion) from a December 2010 estimate, a South African official said.

The cost increase from about 7.8 billion rand comes after the South African and Lesotho governments approved the second phase of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project last year. The extension includes construction of the 163.5-meter-high (536- foot) Polihali dam and a 38.2-kilometer (24-mile) tunnel linking it to Katse Dam.